A new Gallup poll (Nov. 19-21) says of the nine U.S. presidents who have served in the past 50 years, John F. Kennedy gets the top job approval rating from Americans. Ronald Reagan ranks second and, as usual, Nixon brings up the rear. Gallup says its polling question is based on what Americans “know or remember” about the former presidents, and whether they “approve or disapprove of how each handled his job in office.” Really? In JFK’s case, most of us were either too young to remember him or not yet born. Reagan is also a fading memory since his inauguration nearly 30 years ago. In other words, we can safely assume that the knowledge most folks have about these presidents is based on book learnin’ and hearsay. And I’d bet that knowledge, such as it is, has the consistency of thin gruel. Don’t believe me? Tonight, go ask a neighbor to name a JFK accomplishment. Just one. I bet you’ll be rewarded with furrowed brows and silence. And that’s totally okay and normal. My point is merely to point out how silly these presidential Gallup polls are.
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